Shoemaking



S. P. LOVELL SHOEMAKING Filed May 22) 1959 Sept. 2, 1941.

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Pstented sepsz, 1941 snoEMAxmG Stanley P. Lovell, Newton Center, Mass.,assignor to Beckwith Manufacturing Company, Dover, N. H., a corporationof New Hampshire Application-May z2, m39, sern'1N0.z74,91a

7 Claims.

The present invention'relates to the manufacture of shoes and moreparticularly to the manufacture of shoes employing a tip cut separatelyand stitched to the vamp. The invention comprises a novel method ofmanufacturing such shoes with a unit-bonded structure of forepart, andincludes within its scope a novel tip liner which forms a part of thatstructure.

In stitched tip shoes it is essential that the forward end of the vampshould underlie the rear end oi' the toe tip, and the underlying por-Ition is known in the shoe trade as the vamp cut-oft." While the upper isbeing assembled, it is common practice to introduce a fabric doublerbetween the tip and the box toe with the result that the forepartstructure ofthe upper generally consists' of the leather tip (underlaidto some extent by the vamp-cut-oi), the tip doubler (generally ofannel), the box toe, and the shoe lining. Subsequently, when the shoe issubjected to wear, the natural motion of the foot causes the vamp totransmit a forwardv pressure against the tip. Even though the tip hisunder it the stiffness of the box toe, thevamp cut-oil` responds to thispressure by wrinkling transversely or laterally of the shoe. Thislateral wrinkling is a well-known and unsightly defect in a great manyshoes so produced and is particularly objectionable and conspicuous inshoes made of light leather such as kid or kangaroo.

The primary object of the present invention is to solve the problempresented by this defect and prevent the formation of wrinklesoriginating in 'the vamp.cutof|.'. I have discovered that byplacingbetween the vamp cut-oir and the surface of the tip a liner of properlyfabricated and treated material the difliculties above. discussedmay becompletely avoided. The liner of my invention is fabricated from thepoint of view of the type of box toe to be employed in the shoe and maycarry or be impregnated with a stiiiening material capable of beingtemporarily softened by the same agency that is effective to soften thebox toe. For example. when I vem' ploy a box toe of thermoplastic nature.which is activate the liner by softening o'r resoftening itsthermoplastic ingredient. 'I'hus the box toe blank and the liner areboth temporarily softened and rendered adhesive, -and in that conditionthey may be shaped and simultaneously bonded to each other, to the tip,and also to the lining if desired,A thereby converting the forepart ofthe upper into a unit-bonded structure.` This bonding may bepartially orcompletely effected at the pulling over operation or .shortly thereafteror the'nal and complete bonding of the parts may be delayed until thetoe lasting operation takes place.

If thebox toe to be used in the shoemaking Y process is of the.solvent-softenabletype, such for example asone consisting essentially ofa pyroxylin deposit in a'fabric base, the liner of inserted. in a heatedcondition in the shoe upper,

I may supply a liner consisting of sheet material impregnated with orcoated by a compound present in a dry, hard condition but sensitive toheat. The use of such a liner makes it' possible, though not necessary,to cut o the vamp doubler at the line of the tip stitching. The box toeblank may then be laid directly .against the liner, and its residualheat becomes effective $055 my invention may lcomprise a similar fabricsheet but impregnated or coated with a light pyroxylin load or withpyroxylin compounded with soluble Y 25; tion, as by being wetted with anorganic solvent,

and this softening agent in evaporating from the box toe temporarilysoftens the liner rendering If the'. box toe employed in the shoemakingprocess consists in a fabric base carrying water soluble colloids suchas glue, dextrin, casein and the like, the liner of my invention may inthat instance comprise fabric saturated or coated .with a lightapplication of glue, gum arabic, or

other suitable water softenable adhesive which is present in a dry, hardcondition. In any of the three examples above discussed it will be foundthat wheny the shoe is completed, the softening agency, be it heat,solvent or moisture, in passing by evaporation or conduction from theboxtoe blank has made my liner vthoroughly cementV the tip and box toetogether and has alsoformed a complete and permanent bond beteen theliner, the tip, and they lining of the s oe.

As a further Iand optional feature my invention contemplates utilizingthe unit-bonded structure of the forepart in carrying out an lmprovedbed lasting operation in which it is possible to eliminate the customarywiring of the toe. Toe wires are commonly secured in position about thetoe portion of the upper by tacks, and it is well known that the tacksand wires together cause a heavy damage factor in shoemaking. Theunit-bonded structure of the forepart above discussed presents an upperat the bed lasting operation which can be wiped into proper positionupon the insole as if it were one piece of material, even though it isacutally made up of bonded lining, box toe, special linerand tip. Intaking advantage of this condition I apply to the channel or lip of theinsole a cementitious material of such character that it can beactivated by the same agency as thatemployed primarily for softening thebox toe and liner before lasting. Then when the wipers of the bed lasterare advanced, they bring the bonded upper with firm pressure tightlyagainst the lip of the insole rendered adhesive by thisv cement, and theforepart is thus held securely in lasted position and ready for thestitching operation without any necessity for extraneous metallicfasteners.

'I'hese and other features and characteristics of my invention will bebest understood and appreciated from the following description of apreferred manner of carrying it into effect, 'selected for purposes ofillustration and suggested in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. lis a view showing a lined upper ready to have a box toe blank and tipliner assembled therewith.

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views respectively of the box toe blank and tipliner.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the same parts in their assembledrelation,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the upper inpulled-over condition, and

of an inch in advance of the tip stitching line.

The vamp as herein shown is provided with a textile fabric doubler I4which is attached to the vamp by the lines of tip stitching and issubstantially coextensive with the vamp in size and shape. The wholeupper, including the vamp, is also provided with a textile fabric liningI5 which is substantially coextensive with the combined vamp and tip. Itis attached to the vamp at the back seam, not shown, and in Fig. 1 isrepresented as folded back to expose the partsY of the upper ordinarilylying beneath it.

In making up a shoe with the upper shown in Fig. 1 it is good commercialpractice to employ a thermoplastic box toe. The blank I6 for such a boxtoe comprises a fibrous base shaped-to correspond to the tip andimpregnated or coated with resinous material or gums capable of beingtemporarily softened bythe application of heat and of stlilening againwhen cooled. A thermoplastic blank such as that herein shown is usuallyheated until it becomes soft, pliable and adhesive and then placed inthe upper in that condition and shaped with the upper to the last.

In those instances where a thermoplastic box toe is employed in the'upper I propose to combine therewith a novel tip liner shaped to fitwithin the toe portion of the upper and impiegnated with or coatedwith astiflening compound present in a hard. cool condition but sensitive toheat. In its preferred form my novel liner may comprise a cotton fabricsheet, for exampie, with a count of 60 warp and 68 filling threads perinch impregnated or coated with a'thermoplastic composition consistingapproximately of rubber 40%, rosin 30%, candelilla wax 30%, to a loadapproximating 6 oz. per 40 inch yard. A blank I 1 for such a liner isshown in Fig. 2 ready to be inserted directly upon the inner face of thetip II with its rear edge slipped under the vamp cut-off I3. Ifpreferred the liner I l may be stitched into the upper by being caughtin the tip stitch line. It is essential only that the liner besubstantially coextensive in size with the tip and capable of beingrendered plastic and adhesivevby the heat to which it is to besubsequently subjected by contact with the heated box toe blank. In thissense it may be said that the liner and the box toe blank are responsiveto the same activating agency, viz. heat.

Fig. 4 suggests the steps of inserting the liner Il upon the tip I I,covering the liner by the heated and softened, or activated, box toeblank I6 and laying the upper lining I5 smoothly over the vamp and theplies assembled upon the tip. As already explained the heat of theactivated box toe blank is eiective at once to render the liner I'Iplastic and adhesive so that it adheres tothe tip I l on one face and tothe box toe blank I6 at its other face. 'I'he box toe blank being alsoplastic and adhesive likewise adheres to the lining I5. The activatedbox toe blank is preferably placed in the upper upon the liner I1immediately before the pulling-over operation and in the latter step thelayers of the tip are shaped to conform to the contour of the forepartof the last and are drawn forcibly over the last with the development ofpressure sufficient to bond all parts of the tip into a unit structure.From that point on in the manufacture of the shoe the forepart of theupper may be treated as a unit and certain important advantages inlasting are incident to that fact.

Fig. 5 suggests the pulling-over step, the upper being shown asassembled on the last IB carrying an insole I9 and positioned thereon bypullingover tacks 2l, one of which is 4shown in this ilgure as driveninto the tread face of the last. In this figure the thickness of theseveral parts of the upper is greatly exaggerated for the sake ofclearness.

The partially formed shoe is now. or'after side lasting, ready for thebed lasting operation upon the toe and this is effected by wiping themargin of the upper inwardly over the bottom of the last I8 landconforming it to the contour of the insole rib 20 to which it iseventually sewn in the welting operation. In the past the separate pliesof the tip and lining have necessitated the exercise of great shoemakingskill on the part of the laster. In fact the lining has often beenseparately lasted and the elaborate mechanism of toe wiring has beenresorted to for the purpose of maintaining all plies of the tip inconformity to the last until the upper can become set to the shape oi.'the last. All this is obviated in accordance with the present invention,for, as already noted, the unit-bonded tip may be lasted as if it werean integral single ply of sheet material.

Moreover, I propose to eliminate `extraneous fasteners by adhesivelyuniting this unit-bonded material to the insole rib. To this end I applyto the channel or to the insole lip a cementitious material which may berendered adhesive by the same agency that is employed primarily tosoften the box toe blank. The partially completed shoe is then placed ina bed lasting machine, as suggested in Fig. 6, and the wipers 22 areadvanced Where a thermoplastic box toe and liner are employed the cementused upon the insole rib should be responsive to heat and for thispurpose I have found very satisfactory a cement consisting ofpolymerized vinyl acetate with or without the addition of rosin. This iseasily applied by dissolving the desired amount of polymerized vinylacetate in benzol or toluol and then painting the solution on the insolelip and allowing the solvent to dry, thus depositing the cementitiouscompound in place. This compound, it will be understood, is rendered`adhesive by heat .transmitted to it from the margin of the uppermaterial which has been heated preparatory to the lasting operation torender the overlasted margin plastic in condition.

In those instances where it is desired to employ a solvent softenablebox toe blank consisting, for example, of a pyroxylin'deposit on afabric base, I propose to employ a liner of cotton Afabric of thecharacter above described but impregnated or coated with a lightpyroxylin load, such as Celluloid lacquer, or with a pyroxylin compoundwith soluble gums such as gum damar, gumcopal, and the like. The cottonliner may be coated at any convenient time, either when positioned onthe tip or separately before it is plastic boxtoe presents the desirablefeature assembled on the tip. In using this combination the box toeblank is softened and rendered adhesive by being dipped in acetone,ethyl acetate or the like and then placed in position upon the linerwhich has already been assembled with the tip blank of the upper and isnow present in ak hard, dry condition. As the solvent leaves the box toeblank on the last the solvent vapor therefrom necessarily makes plasticand highly' adhesive the liner located next to the tip by softening orresoftening its pyroiwlin deposit.'

and in a manner similar to that already described the various plies ofthe upper are adhesively united in va unit-,bonded structure.

In those instances where it is desired to employ water softenable boxtoe blanks consisting, for example, of a fabric base carryingwatersoluble colloids such as glue, dextrin, casein and the like, Ipropose to employ a liner of textile fabric saturated or coated with alight application of glue, gum arabic'or other suitable water softenableadhesive. In using this combination the box toe blank is softened andrendered adhesive by being dipped or spread with water and then placedinposition upon the liner which has already been assembled with the tipblank of the upper' and coated in place or previously with its adhesivewhich is now presentin hard, dry

condition. As the moisture leaves the box toe character disclosed inconnection with a thermothat it maintains the shape of the toe in shoesexhibited in show windows and subjected 'to heat which wouldotherwisetend to collapse the box toe and seriously impair the'appearance of the shoe.

,In another aspect, therefore, my invention consists in combining in thetip portion of a shoe upper a box toe blank responsive to a convenientlyavailable stiffening or activating agency with a liner responsive to theresidual softening or activating agency of the box toe blank itself.

Thus I provide a shoe structure that will stand up under conditionswhich have heretofore seriously impaired the appearance of shoes havinga single stiffening ply. In this aspect, of course, my invention is notlimited to stitched-tip uppers, but has a vmuch wider range ofapplication to the shoemaking industry. lIn the following claims I havereferred to the tip liner as carry-v ing softenable stiffening materialand mean by this term to include a liner impregnated with stiifeningmaterial 'or coated therewith before or after it is assembled in theupper.

It willbe understood 'that in the foregoing disclosure the stiifeningand adhesive compounds mentioned and the solvent employed areillustrative only, and, while they are the best now known to me for thepurposes stated, a great many other materials and solvents would serveas well and are intended to be included within the scope of thefollowing claims wherein the invention is dened which I desire to secureby Letters Patent:

l. The process of making shoes having stitched tips, which includes thesteps of placing inside the tip a liner carrying hard but inherentlysoftenable stiifening material having adhesive properties, laying uponsaid liner 'an activated box toe blank and thereby temporarily softeningthe liner and rendering it adhesive, covering the activated box toeblank with a lining, and then shaping the forepart of the upper andthereby forming. al bond between the lining and the tip.

' 2. The process of making-shoes having stitched tips, which includesthe steps of placingv next to the tip a liner carrying hard butinherently softenable stiffening material having adhesive properties,laying upon said liner an activated box toe blank and therebytemporarily softening the liner and rendering it adhesive, covering theactivated box toe blank with a shoe lining, and then shaping theforepart of the upper yand thereby forming a unit-bonded structure ofthe tip, liner, box toe andlining.

3. The process of making shoeshaving stitched tips, which includes thesteps of placing next to the tip a liner carrying thermoplasticstiffening materiaL'laying upon said liner a heated thermoplasticv boxvtoe blank and thereby temporarily softening the liner, covering theheated box toe blank -with a lining, and then shaping the forepart ofthe upper and'at the same time forming y a bond between the lining andthe tip.

4. The process of making shoes having stitched tips, which includes thesteps of placing in contact with the tip a liner carrying-a hard butinherently ,softenablel stiifening material, covering said liner with abox toe blank which has been lsoftened and rendered adhesive by the ticstiffening material, a thermoplastic box toe, 10

and a textile shoelining.

6. As a step product, a. shoe upper including a. stitched tip and beingprepared for lasting and having in one portion thereof in superposedrelation a heated and softened thermoplastic box 15 toe blank, and indirect face-to-face contact therewith, a liner of sheet materialcarrying a thermoplastic material softened by the residual heat of thebox toe blank.

'7. As a step product, la shoe upper including a stitched tip and beingprepared for lasting and having in one portion thereof in superposedrelation a box toe blank carrying a softenable stifening material whichhas been softened by a softening agency, and in direct face-to-facecontact with the box toe blank, a liner of sheet material carryingsubstantially the same kind oi softenable stifening material softened bythe residual softening agency of the box toe blank.

STANLEY P. LOVELL.

